Families are being urged to check what support they can still claim as the DWP reveals key benefit payment dates for June.

It comes as households brace for another sharp rise in bills after energy regulator Ofgem confirmed the energy price cap will climb by £221 a year to £1,862 from July – a rise of almost 13%. The increase follows volatility in global oil and gas markets and will heap further strain on families already struggling with food, housing and borrowing costs.

Which benefits are being paid in June?

The DWP says payments will continue as normal throughout June because there are no bank holidays affecting the payment calendar.

Benefits due as usual include:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Universal Credit
• State Pension
• Pension Credit
• Child Benefit

The State Pension continues to be paid every four weeks, with the payment day based on the final two digits of a claimant’s National Insurance number:

• 00 to 19 – Monday
• 20 to 39 – Tuesday
• 40 to 59 – Wednesday
• 60 to 79 – Thursday
• 80 to 99 – Friday

State pension and benefit increases already in force

Benefit rates increased in April, with Universal Credit standard allowances rising by 6.2%. For a single claimant aged over 25, the standard allowance increased from £92 a week to £98 a week. Couples aged over 25 saw payments rise from £145 to £154 a week.

Meanwhile, most disability and working-age benefits rose by 3.8%. The full new State Pension increased by 4.8% in April under the triple lock, taking payments to £241.05 a week.

However, changes to the health-related element of Universal Credit mean new claimants now receive £50 a week instead of £105, with existing claimant rates frozen until 2029.

Energy firms and broadband companies offering support

Several major energy suppliers continue to offer hardship schemes and grants to struggling customers, including British Gas, EDF, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power.

Households on low incomes may also qualify for discounted broadband and water social tariffs, while some families can receive up to 100% council tax support depending on their circumstances.

Extra help households can apply for

Councils across England are now distributing support through the Government’s new Crisis and Resilience Fund, which replaced the Household Support Fund and discretionary housing payments in April.

The scheme includes:

• Crisis payments for households facing financial emergencies
• Housing payments to help with rent deposits, rent shortfalls or moving costs

The DWP has told councils to take a “cash-first” approach where possible.

Universal Credit claimants may also qualify for budgeting advance loans worth up to:

• £348 for single people
• £464 for couples
• £812 for households with children

The loans are interest-free and repaid through deductions from future benefit payments.

£24bn in benefits still going unclaimed

Despite the pressure on living standards, billions of pounds in support still goes unclaimed every year. According to figures cited by the DWP from Policy in Practice, around £24bn in benefits and support is not being claimed by eligible households annually.

The DWP says around 24 million people now receive some form of benefit or State Pension support – roughly one in three people across Britain.

There are currently no new DWP cost of living payments planned for 2026 after the previous scheme ended in February 2024.